Zuko Alone: Alternate Ending and True Ending
by StrangerInAStrangeWorld
Summary: A story about the episode "Zuko Alone". While told from Zuko's point of view, Lee and his reaction are shown as well. It contains the alternate ending I imagined, but it could use a little work, I think.


Zuko Alone: A Fanfiction

Based on the episode of the same name, from when Lee takes Zuko's swords to the end. However, I have created an alternate ending in addition to that of the true one.

This is probably best understood by those who have seen the _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ episode "Zuko Alone", though others are welcome to read.

I have dozed fitfully all night. Images, sounds, scents from my wartorn past have flitted through my dreams. Memories, ones that I have tried to bury in my new life. My mother, the night before she disappeared. Azula's sadistic smile as she watched my father receive punishment at our grandfather's Azulon's hands. Mai and Ty Lee in the Fire Palace's gardens. Oddly, my time here at Lee's home passes through my mind, as if it is a warning that this grinning Earth Kingdom youth will have a greater effect on me than I know.

There comes a soft creak from the door, and I jerk awake. Long experience has branded into my brain the need to sleep with one eye open. Footsteps, the solid ones of an Earth Kingdom native, but light as of someone young, pad across the straw-laden floor. Lee-for that is who it must be-sneaks closer, unaware of my consciousness. But then, he is blissfully unaware of much of who I am, even my true name. Let him stay that way-I shall move on soon. I hear his callused hands on the leather of my swords. Unless he plans to take them, which I doubt, Lee will be unable to use them. I wait, as patiently as one born to a people with fire in their very name, may wait. As soon as he has left, I arise.

I slip out of the stable doorway, descending the hill into the field. Lee has unsheathed the dual blades, and is proceeding to slash at the tall grass and a lone tree. I half-smile in spite of myself. His eagerness to fight reminds me of a certain young Fire Prince I once knew. Coming a little closer, I call out to Lee, pitching my voice so as not to wake his parents.

"You're holding them the wrong way, you know."

He starts, stammering briefly in his surprise at being caught. I approach, cautiously placing my hands on his arms and wrists. Firebenders tend towards higher body temperatures, and I do not wish Lee to begin to put together the puzzle pieces he has learned about me. I show him the correct way, reminding him of the blades' nature.

"These are dual swords. Think of them not as two separate swords, but as two parts of the same weapon."

The young boy complies, clumsily imitating my moves. He has potential, and I acknowledge it with a smile. As we return to his family's shelter-not quite a hut, nor a house-Lee begins to tell me of his brother Sen-Su, an Earth Kingdom soldier who once taught his younger brother as I just did. Fear and embarrassment flood my body, turning my flesh blazing hot and chillingly cold. This Sen-Su has likely fought bravely and willingly to free his people from the oppression caused by mine, has likely died at the hand of my father's own troops. I have never thought of my soldiers as expendable, though the enemy's infantry seemed to be. Those men cut down in battle-each had a life, a home, a family like the one that has taken me in temporarily. Are they so much different from those of Fire Nation blood?

We part ways for the night, as Lee and I depart the field for our respective mats. I cannot risk getting attached to him and his kin, but there is something that urges me to stay, to help. Despite the luxury of my own childhood, this place and these people seem so much more wonderful right now, a siren song of kinship and stability. I shake the thoughts away as I bed down in the straw once more, and the shadows of sleep wash away the remnants of my consciousness…

I wake once more at dawn, and bid farewell to Lee and his family even as the youth's father departs for the army. Lee is imploring me to stay, as now he has no father as well as no brother. I shake my head, though it feels right now to be the hardest thing I have ever done. Mounting my ostrich horse, I tip my hat and set off. The searing light of the sun beats down upon me, filling the fire within me with strength even as it gradually dehydrates me. A cruel paradox. When I stop to rest and take a sip from my water skin, I doze off, gold-tinged darkness consuming my sight.

Someone is talking-a light, female voice, but that means nothing if you look hard enough at the shadow-filled underworld beneath the mundane. I jerk awake, to see Lee's mother Sela standing over me. She is talking frantically to me. No, at me, hoping that her words will reach my ears and inspire me to action somehow. I listen for a few seconds, and after that my heart is pounding. Those thugs-the Earth Kingdom "soldiers" who terrorized the town-have taken Lee. When I protected Lee earlier from his egg-throwing antics, I had prayed that I wouldn't need to do so again. Not hoped-I don't believe in hope, nor in fate. We cannot wait for a predetermined destiny, we must act ourselves. Lee's mother pleads with me, begging me to help her son.

Whether by Earthbending or by sword-I would guess at the former, which enforces their image of power-my young friend will surely suffer at the soldiers' hands. I will go. The blood of young children needs not stain the dust today.

By the time I reach the village square, it is nearly sundown. Lee is bound to some sort of wood pole, with the thugs closing him off from any who might dare to help. Threatening, and yet nondescript, Lee's tormentors are every bully I have ever encountered rolled into one band of men. They saunter towards me, bearing swords and fists, spears and hammers. Crude, clumsy weapons of poor quality, but that makes them all the more painful. After all, the more blows it takes to kill a man, the longer his agony will be prolonged.

"Let the kid go." It's less of an order than a way of telling these soldiers why I am her-giving them a chance to back down.

"Who do you think you are?" one of the men-though they can hardly be called by that name-sneers.

"It doesn't matter who I am," I tell them bluntly. "But I know who you are. You're not soldiers, you're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army. You're sick cowards, messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war."

The tall, bearded hammer-bearer's eyes narrow, and he turns to one of his lackeys.

"Are you gonna stand there and let this stranger insult you like this?" the man snarls.

A spear-holding goon charges, and I don't even bother to unsheathe my swords. A step to the side, and a hilt to the stomach send him reeling backward into the dust. Terrified and disarmed, he scoots backward, and flees. Weak, and an easier foe due to the man's tactic of charging individually. I settle into a battling stance. This group will not stop with sending one fighter.

Another of his friends growls deep in his throat, and lunges forward. Any true warrior would know to dodge when his foe makes a potentially threatening movement, but this is no

The next one charges me, as pathetic as his predecessor and clutching a similar spear. A simple kick at the base of the spearhead shatters it. Staring at the place where a weapon once was, he too dashes off. Three down, one to go.

The leader of the group stands his ground. Sinking into the rooted stance of an Earthbender and producing his war-hammers, my opponent readies himself for a fight. Now I unsheathe my blades. The thug tries another strategy, slamming his hammers into the ground and clubbing the resulting not-quite-boulders towards me. I deflect them as best I can, the inner dragon that legend claims the first firebenders learned their art from stirring in my chest. Hammer Man sends his next wave of stones in my direction. Once, I might have shattered them all, and incinerated him, but I am rusty and bending would be too revealing. A rock catches me in the side as I twist out of the way, and my breath is briefly gone. Uncle always did emphasize good breath control, and perhaps I was a fool not to pay more attention. The leader flings more rocks at me, larger and quicker this time. I am still off balance, and the stones strike me hard. As I cut through the final almost-boulder, my foe bludgeons the earth with both hammers. A line of stony columns surges from beneath the weapons, and before I have time to dodge, it rams me full in the chest. Pain briefly blossoms in my body, but is swept away by shadows.

All at once, I am a child again, and my mother's voice is calling to me from the doorway. Dressed in a dark cloak and hood, she wakes me.

"Remember, no matter what, who you are," she says.

I nod. My younger self didn't get it, didn't understand. All of a sudden, it's crystal clear to me. I know who I am. I am a lot of different people, everyone I have ever been and every experience I've had. I am an outcast, a prince, a firebender, a leader, a fugitive, and many more identities besides. And the fire that I was born with, the inner flame that smolders dormant within me, roars to life.

I am up in a second, letting the fire I have trapped within me surge down the lengths of my swords. The flames churn around me, a spiraling firestorm. I can hear the gasps of surprise and dismay from the villagers. How were they to know that the prince of the very nation that this land fights against was being harbored here? A hated firebender, gifted-or cursed-with consuming fire. It's easier now, to defeat this man, without fear of being discovered. My deadly inferno slams into him, scorching and buffeting the man. Off balance, an Earthbender is powerless. He attempts to summon up earth walls, but he is weakened, and I am furious. This punk-this no-good, scheming scum-doesn't deserve to live in Lee's hybrid pig farm. One last strike hammers the man into a wall, his own stone wall crumbling on top of him. I stride towards him, sheathing my swords.

"W-who are you?" he stammers.

"My name is Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne!" I declare, loudly enough for all to hear, as I sheath my swords. My heritage isn't a point of pride for me any longer, but I want this man to know who beat him, and the villagers to hear the Fire Nation can do good again.

"Liar! I heard of you!" a village elder cries. "You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!"

I don't acknowledge him. Let the townspeople decide on the truth for themselves. I turn back to the cowering, whimpering "soldier", and pluck the dagger I gave Lee from his pocket. If I touched him, I'd likely burn him, as searing to the touch as my skin is right now, and his yell would convince these people that I was torturing him. I don't need a reason for them to hate me any more than they already do. Precious as this slender weapon is to me, it's Lee's by right now. I rise, and approach the Earth Kingdom boy. His mother, a hunger-thinned woman, beautiful in her rustic way, steps in front of him. She must know that I could burn her to ash if I tried, or gut her with my swords, but still the village woman stands defiantly. A mother's love, prepared to face any and all dangers to her son.

"Not a step closer," Sela commands me, hate in her eyes. It's odd, how feelings for a person can change in an instant based on the revelation of a single fact. Everyone likes you until they truly know you here. But I obey her order. I have no authority, no rank here, or anywhere to deny this young mother.

I kneel to show that I mean no harm, offering the dagger to Lee, who seems to be both terrified of and angry at me.

"Take it. It's yours." I tell him. Simple words, plain and open.

"No! I hate you!" Lee spits, and he means every word. The kid who once adored me turns, dull hate shining in his eyes, and departs for his home with Sela. I'll remember them when I leave for my own journey.

Suddenly I am back in a sea of memories. I am younger, waking up and lunging out of bed, calling for my mother. As I run down the gilded corridors, I hear the ring of a dagger being unsheathed.

"Where's Mom?" my anxious younger self asks Azula, that thief.

"No one knows," she answers in that devil-may-care, superficial way of hers. "Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away." As if my sister cares. Likely it was her hand that held the killing blade.

"It's not funny, Azula." I say. "You're sick, and I want my knife back, _now_." I make a grab for it, and she spins out of the way.

"Who's going to make me, Mom?" Azula taunts, holding up the dagger. I snatch it from her thieving hands and run from the room.

The scene changes, and I am in the garden by my father, the fountain flowing and turtleducks quacking like any other day.

"Where is she? " I ask. Ever the stoic man, Fire Lord Ozai-for that is what he must be now-makes no reply.

The world around me changes, and I am standing on a platform clad in white, as is the rest of my family. A Fire Sage is intoning the funeral rites, as a crowd of red-robed people holding pennants of the same hue listens.

"Fire Lord Azulon, ruler of our nation for twenty-three years. You were our fearless leader in the battle of Garsai, our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin provinces. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Illah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko and Azula. We lay you to rest. As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son." Two men in white light the casket on fire, and the crown of the Fire Nation is placed upon my father's head.

"Hail Fire Lord Ozai!" the Sage calls, as my father strides to the front of the platform. Everyone bows in reverence, but as Azula does, I can see her smiling in an almost malicious glee.

Back to the present. I sit astride my ostrich-horse, heading off for somewhere new. The Earth Kingdom flag snaps and cracks in the arid, dusty wind. I set my course for the west, the sun's sullen rays matching my mood. I can feel the blistering glares of the villagers on my back, though Lee turns away. As the sun sets, my fire wanes with it, and any chance of a life I might have had here. So be it.

Alternate Ending: From the post-defeat flashback to the end.

I surge to my feet with a shout, flames scorching the earth around me, and knocking the unsuspecting thug backwards. I know who I am. I am a prince and an outcast, a firebender and a fugitive, but I am also the one who will avenge the townspeople on this bully and thief. He tries to bend walls for himself, and rocks to hurl at me, but I evade the projectiles and shatter his defenses with my own blazes. My final assault pins him against a wall, and bricks rain down onto him.

"W-Who are you?" he manages to whimper as I approach him.

I think a second before answering. "I am the outcast prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko." Behind me I hear a collective gasp from the villagers, and I can see the shock and fright on Lee's face. "_You_ are the leader of some worthless, thieving scum who abuse the power given to them. It would be a boon to these people, and within my rights as the victor, to kill you." Beneath the dirt and sweat caked onto my opponent's face, he becomes very pale and still. "Lucky for you, I'm trying to redeem myself, and poisoning the soil wouldn't help." I crouch and take the inscribed knife from his pocket. Rising, I turn to offer the dagger to Lee. His mother Sela steps in front of her son, saying "Not a step closer." I dip my head in acknowledgement, but reply,

"I won't come any closer. This knife is Lee's. I gave it to him, and he should have it back."

"And whose body did you steal it from on the battlefields?" she retorts.

"It was made before my time, and given to me by my uncle Iroh, a man of peace," I tell her.

"Everyone knows you Fire Nation are all about peace. That's why you've forced my husband and oldest son to go to war, and killed thousands," Sela sniffs.

_This is pointless,_ I think to myself. _I may as well leave_. But I make one last try, if only so the precious knife can find an owner. "I won't touch Lee, I swear it on my life. " To prove it, I set my swords on the ground and extend the dagger hilt-first towards the peasant woman.

"You firebend. I saw you, and you can't deny it. How am I to know you won't kill Lee that way?" I think that I can see her softening a little bit.

I hesitate. Is it really worth it, to go to all this trouble, for a little Earth Kingdom boy? Yes. He has lost everyone and everything important to him: his father, his brother, any hope of peace, and the mysterious vagrant turned Fire Nation warrior.

"Put the dagger to my back. If I hurt Lee, you can kill me that way," I say softly. To put my life in the hands of someone who loathes me could be fatal, but I have nothing to lose. Thinking it over, Sela nods. She takes the dagger, made hot by my touch, and winces slightly at the feel of the heated metal. Pointing it at me, Lee's mother moves just behind me and I can feel the point through my thin shirt.

I face Lee and tell him, "You hate me, because you see me as someone who sent the troops that are killing your countrymen, your family. Now I'm a hated firebender." I don't know if I'm talking to him now, or to everyone. Maybe both. " I am not innocent. I _have_ killed people, and I have their blood on my hands. That's why I'm out here, because I don't want to be a tool of the Fire Nation anymore. If I wanted to murder and destroy, would I be in a hostile country alone?"

I meet his eyes. He is unsure, conflicted between his knowledge of me as a helpful, if taciturn wanderer and the tales he has heard about the Fire Nation, and its prince.

I stand, ready to go. My empathy for this kid is lessening, the hardened shell I have built up settling back into place. "Look-the point is that I'm sorry. I didn't choose to be Fire Nation, any more than I chose to be a firebender. I am not my father, and I am not every legend you have heard about me. I'm going to atone for what I've done. If you want the dagger, it hasn't hurt anyone, and your mother has it."

I step away, and pick up my sheathed swords, strapping them back onto my back as Lee's mother removes the dagger from my back. I turn and leave. But as I go, I can hear the sound of someone picking up that knife and putting it back in its little sheath. And that little sound carries me for miles over the baked, dusty plains.

_There may be a fanfic detailing Lee right after this, or Zuko returning years later to visit_.


End file.
